JUDGES Act of 2024
Latest action · Jan 3, 2025 Veto message received in Senate. Ordered held at the desk.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 19, 2024
- Passed SenateAug 1, 2024
- Passed HouseDec 12, 2024
- To the PresidentDec 20, 2024
- VetoedDec 23, 2024
Summary
Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved Act of 2024 or the JUDGES Act of 2024
This bill creates 63 new permanent U.S. district court judgeships over a 10-year period and 3 temporary U.S. district court judgeships in 2025. The President must appoint, with the advice and consent of the Senate, additional judges for specified judicial districts.
Specifically, the bill creates 63 additional permanent judgeships, which are added every two years from 2025 through 2035. The state and the total number of judgeships added over the 10-year period for the state are as follows:
- Arizona (2),
- California (21),
- Colorado (2),
- Delaware (2),
- Florida (9),
- Georgia (2),
- Idaho (1),
- Indiana (1),
- Iowa (1),
- Nebraska (1),
- New Jersey (3),
- New York (5), and
- Texas (13).
Additionally, in 2025, the bill creates three temporary judgeships in Oklahoma.
The bill adds locations for where district courts must be held in certain states. Specifically, the bill requires the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California to be additionally held in El Centro, California; the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas (Houston Division) to be additionally held in College Station, Texas; and the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah (Central Division) to be additionally held in Moab and Monticello, Utah.
The Government Accountability Office must submit reports to Congress on judicial caseloads and detention space.
The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts must make publicly accessible, and submit to Congress, a specified biennial report on judgeship recommendations.
Recorded votes 1
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House 501 | On Passage | Passed236–173 | Dec 12, 2024 |
Cosponsors 17
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 19, 2024 to Jul 24, 2024; 7 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Alex Padilla | Original | Apr 19, 2024 |
| D-NM | Ben Ray Luján | Original | Apr 19, 2024 |
| D-DE | Christopher A. Coons | Original | Apr 19, 2024 |
| R-OK | James Lankford | Original | Apr 19, 2024 |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Original | Apr 19, 2024 |
| R-TX | Ted Cruz | Original | Apr 19, 2024 |
| R-NC | Thom Tillis | Original | Apr 19, 2024 |
| R-SC | Lindsey Graham | Jun 18, 2024 | |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Jun 18, 2024 | |
| R-ID | James E. Risch | Jul 8, 2024 | |
| D-GA | Jon Ossoff | Jul 8, 2024 | |
| D-AZ | Mark Kelly | Jul 8, 2024 | |
| R-ID | Mike Crapo | Jul 8, 2024 | |
| D-NJ | Cory A. Booker | Jul 9, 2024 | |
| R-SD | Mike Rounds | Jul 9, 2024 | |
| D-CA | Laphonza R. Butler | Jul 24, 2024 | |
| R-FL | Rick Scott | Jul 24, 2024 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Reported Jun 18, 2024 |
Actions 20
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 3, 2025Veto message received in Senate. Ordered held at the desk.
- Dec 23, 2024Vetoed by President.
- Dec 20, 2024Presented to President.
- Dec 12, 2024Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 1612. (consideration: CR H7116-7124)
- Dec 12, 2024Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 7673 and S. 4199. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 7673 and S. 4199 under a closed rule with one hour of general debate on each bill and one motion to recommit on H.R. 7673 and one motion to commit on S. 4199. The resolution also provides for consideration of the Senate amendment to H.R. 5009 with one hour of general debate.
In the Congressional Record 3
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H7116–H7124Text printed H7116–H7119Recorded votes H7123enact | Ben Cline R-VA, Darrell Issa R-CA, Glenn Ivey D-MD, Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. D-GA, Jerrold Nadler D-NY, Jim Jordan R-OH, Tom Cole R-OK, Troy E. Nehls R-TX | Dec 12, 2024 |
| House · Senate | Debate and remarks H6549–H6557, S6893Text printed H6549Amendments H6555Recorded votes H6556, H6557consideration (H. Res. 1612), previous question | Austin Scott R-GA, Mary Gay Scanlon D-PA, Mitch McConnell R-KY, Richard McCormick R-GA, Teresa Leger Fernandez D-NM (amendment) | Dec 10, 2024 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S5750–S5753Text printed S5750–S5752 | Charles E. Schumer D-NY | Aug 1, 2024 |
Related bills 6
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HRES 1612 | Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 7673) to prohibit the Secretary of Energy from prescribing or enforcing energy conservation standards for clothes washers that are not cost-effective or technologically feasible, and for other purposes; provid | Procedurally related | Dec 10, 2024 |
| S 2759 | JUDGES Act | Related bill | Sep 11, 2023 |
| HR 2910 | To amend title 28, United States Code, to authorize holding court for the Central Division of Utah in Moab and Monticello. | Related bill | Apr 26, 2023 |
| S 5465 | A bill to clarify where court may be held for certain district courts in Texas and California. | Related bill | Dec 17, 2024 |
| HR 8666 | To amend title 28, United States Code, to authorize holding court for the Central Division of Utah in Moab and Monticello. | Related bill | Jan 4, 2025 |
Titles 9
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to authorize additional district judges for the district courts and convert temporary judgeships.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- JUDGES Act of 2024
- Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved Act of 2024
- Short Title(s) as Reported to Senate
- JUDGES Act of 2024
- Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved Act of 2024
- Short Title(s) as Passed Senate
- JUDGES Act of 2024
- Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved Act of 2024
- Short Titles from ENR (Enrolled) bill text
- Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved Act of 2024
- JUDGES Act of 2024
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Law.
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- —Enrolled Bill
- Aug 1, 2024Engrossed in Senate
- Jun 18, 2024Reported to Senate
- Apr 19, 2024Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
